Official Review: IT'S OK TO TELL by Marie Giles
Posted: 24 Jun 2019, 12:48
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "IT'S OK TO TELL" by Marie Giles.]
4 out of 4 stars
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As the author perfectly presents, It’s Ok to Tell: Healing Process Diary “started out as diaries to help me get through this turmoil. You can see how I was not able to express so well at the start of the process but was able to develop this ability as time travelled.” This statement not only introduces the book wholesomely but also provides a peek into the author’s growth that she presents in her personal diary.
Please note that since the author is legally required to publish under a different name, I will be referring to her as Marie Giles, her pen name, throughout this review.
In this powerful diary, Marie takes us through her tunnel-filled journey of healing from childhood sexual abuse. As an adult living in Australia in January of 2002, Marie begins her Healing Process Diary by finally revealing the sexual abuse to her loved ones. Upon receiving even more disturbing news, she decides to take action and prosecute her abuser. The two years and three months that follow are full of stress, anger, grief, and guilt as Marie struggles to make her voice heard. She is required to travel back to her hometown in Northern Ireland and try to seek closure for herself and her family members. Marie records her thoughts and the torturous events in her diary, which she keeps chronologically until April of 2004. Fortunately, she also gives us a glimpse into her life in July of 2018, shortly before the book was published.
Marie’s voice throughout It’s Ok to Tell is undeniably raw and straight from the pages of her journals. It was easy to tell when she was upset, frustrated, or angry simply by the language and tone change. For example, she tends to curse a lot more when she is very angry. It was equally noticeable when she was on a “high” from moving forward in the prosecution or simply realized something new in a counseling session. This quality brought the reader right into the diary pages with Marie, experiencing her disappointments and feeling her distress. I was rooting for Marie the whole way, whether I agreed with her or not.
Because of the raw vivacity of the book as an actual diary, there were a handful of grammatical errors. I believe this book was professionally edited and these errors were left in place to add to Marie’s genuine voice, and I truly see their merit. Marie’s voice is preserved to the utmost degree, which adds to the very real quality of this book. Additionally, though a bit choppy due to the diary-style writing, the book flowed smoothly enough to make it a very quick read. Marie even includes copies of actual letters and a few diary pages written during those years, which add a lot of factual information and background to the story.
The part I disliked most was the lack of explanations of some of the characters; their names were simply stated. However, I hesitate to let that mar the overall book because this is simply how an actual diary is written. Marie Giles was writing for herself at the time, and this was necessary for the healing that we, as readers, are lucky to catch a glimpse into. Because of the raw reality of this published diary, as well as its potential impact on other survivors of sexual abuse, I proudly rate It’s Ok to Tell 4 out of 4 stars. I will certainly be reading it again.
Please note that this book is a sensitive description of events and emotions relating to sexual abuse, so it may be triggering for some readers. When you are ready to begin the healing process, this book could be of great help. This book is strictly diary-style with a somewhat choppy narrative, so it may not be for you if you do not like this style of writing.
******
IT'S OK TO TELL
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
As the author perfectly presents, It’s Ok to Tell: Healing Process Diary “started out as diaries to help me get through this turmoil. You can see how I was not able to express so well at the start of the process but was able to develop this ability as time travelled.” This statement not only introduces the book wholesomely but also provides a peek into the author’s growth that she presents in her personal diary.
Please note that since the author is legally required to publish under a different name, I will be referring to her as Marie Giles, her pen name, throughout this review.
In this powerful diary, Marie takes us through her tunnel-filled journey of healing from childhood sexual abuse. As an adult living in Australia in January of 2002, Marie begins her Healing Process Diary by finally revealing the sexual abuse to her loved ones. Upon receiving even more disturbing news, she decides to take action and prosecute her abuser. The two years and three months that follow are full of stress, anger, grief, and guilt as Marie struggles to make her voice heard. She is required to travel back to her hometown in Northern Ireland and try to seek closure for herself and her family members. Marie records her thoughts and the torturous events in her diary, which she keeps chronologically until April of 2004. Fortunately, she also gives us a glimpse into her life in July of 2018, shortly before the book was published.
Marie’s voice throughout It’s Ok to Tell is undeniably raw and straight from the pages of her journals. It was easy to tell when she was upset, frustrated, or angry simply by the language and tone change. For example, she tends to curse a lot more when she is very angry. It was equally noticeable when she was on a “high” from moving forward in the prosecution or simply realized something new in a counseling session. This quality brought the reader right into the diary pages with Marie, experiencing her disappointments and feeling her distress. I was rooting for Marie the whole way, whether I agreed with her or not.
Because of the raw vivacity of the book as an actual diary, there were a handful of grammatical errors. I believe this book was professionally edited and these errors were left in place to add to Marie’s genuine voice, and I truly see their merit. Marie’s voice is preserved to the utmost degree, which adds to the very real quality of this book. Additionally, though a bit choppy due to the diary-style writing, the book flowed smoothly enough to make it a very quick read. Marie even includes copies of actual letters and a few diary pages written during those years, which add a lot of factual information and background to the story.
The part I disliked most was the lack of explanations of some of the characters; their names were simply stated. However, I hesitate to let that mar the overall book because this is simply how an actual diary is written. Marie Giles was writing for herself at the time, and this was necessary for the healing that we, as readers, are lucky to catch a glimpse into. Because of the raw reality of this published diary, as well as its potential impact on other survivors of sexual abuse, I proudly rate It’s Ok to Tell 4 out of 4 stars. I will certainly be reading it again.
Please note that this book is a sensitive description of events and emotions relating to sexual abuse, so it may be triggering for some readers. When you are ready to begin the healing process, this book could be of great help. This book is strictly diary-style with a somewhat choppy narrative, so it may not be for you if you do not like this style of writing.
******
IT'S OK TO TELL
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon